The Way of the Water
by katanaZ
Summary: The Yu Yan Archer Katara is skilled and beautiful. But she hides a secret, an ability that would make her an enemy of her nation. But as she one day meet someone who share her abilities, she willingly turns the back on her people to do the right thing.


**This is a story I wrote a long time ago, but that has never been published before. Please read the following text, because it explains some things that aren't directly told in the story.**

**This story starts at "The blue spirit"-episode.**

**Katara is 17 years old. This is because I find it hard to write about characters in a young age, so Katara was simply born three years earlier than in the series.**

**Aang is 18 years old. He was found in the iceberg 6 years earlier than in the series, which practically still makes him 112 years old. Aang have been travelling the world with Appa ever since he was found, until they got separated during a storm. Aang then travelled the world in the disguise of a ranger.**

**Enjoy the story, and please review!**

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><p>Katara watched one of the most skilled persons in the Yu Yan Archer aim his arrow. A loud snap could be heard when he fired it. Katara didn't have to check it to know that he had hit his target. The next arrow split the first one in half, and the third one split the second in half. The other members walked up to him and did the same practice he just had done. But Katara stayed hidden in the shadows. She watched the two men in the tower talk.<p>

One of them was Colonel Shinu, but she didn't recognize the other one. They seemed to be arguing about something. Katara saw a messenger hawk fly above her. He followed it with her gaze when it landed on the railing of the tower.

"Katara!" Someone hissed quietly.

Vachir, the leader of the Yu Yan Archers, looked angrily at her. She quickly stepped out from the shadows. She loaded the bow with three arrows, and aimed. The arrows striked the three archery range target's dead center. Katara backed away to let the other ones try. She glanced at the tower. Colonel Shinu bowed at the other man, and then he walked away. The man looked down at the archers with a pleased smile. Katara shuddered. It was something about that man that she didn't like.

"Katara, snap out of it already!" Someone behind her whispered.

Katara turned around and smiled at her only friend. Zhou smiled back at her.

"You are really distracted today. What is it?"

Katara sighed. "There is a man in the tower, watching us."

Zhou didn't look there, and Katara was thankful. She didn't want the man to know that they were talking about him.

"Do you think it is another mission?" Zhou asked.

"Yeah. Colonel Shinu just bowed at him."

"Why are you so worried, then? You always say that you much rather go on missions than be a security guard."

"I know. But there is something about that man that I don't like…"

Vachir did a gesture at them, and they stepped forward and loaded their bows.

"Besides…" Katara whispered while she aimed. "I'm worried that I will be left behind. Especially after this training. Vachir doesn't seem so happy about my distraction today."

Zhou smiled, but he didn't answer. He concentrated on his target.

Katara had joined the Yu Yan Archers five years ago. She was agile and a skilled archer, but she wasn't even half as good as the other Yu Yan. She was also the youngest and had to train twice as hard as the other ones. They often left her behind when they went on any mission.

Vachir nodded to declaim that the training was over. The archers didn't talk, unless they had to, while training. On a real mission they would have to be as quiet as possible.

Colonel Shinu was waiting, and he made a sign to Vachir to follow him. The men walked away.

"It's a mission, for sure." Zhou smiled.

Katara sighed.

"Don't worry." Zhou said. "I can talk to Vachir if you want. I can ask him to take you with us."

Katara laughed. "Like he would do something just because you ask him?"

"Well… I'm the next leader of the Yu Yen. Maybe he would listen to my opinion."

"Don't bother." Katara said. "Hopefully he would need us all."

Zhou nodded before he walked away. Katara watched him. He was young, only 17 years old, but still he had a great responsibility. He was the most skilful Yu Yen Archer, except for Vachir. One day he would be the leader of them.

Katara walked up to her room to change clothes. Her room was small and empty except for her bed and clothes. She had no belongings that hadn't come from the Yu Yan. All her clothes and weapons they had given her, and they had taken away her old ones. It was like they didn't want her to remember her life before the Yu Yan. But she had one thing from her pass life that they hadn't taken away from her.

A necklace. It was beautiful, with a waterbending symbol in it. Katara didn't care that it came from enemies of her nation, she still thought that it was beautiful. The Archers said that it had been stolen from a travelling water peasant. But for Katara, it was a memory of her past life.

Before Katara had joined the Yu Yan Archer, she had been a normal child in the fire nation. She lived together with her mom and dad in a fire nation colony. She had also had a brother… But she hadn't seen him for years. She could only remember that they had played together when they were kids. She couldn't even remember his name. Her mom used to say that her brother wasn't there, because he was out fighting in the war. That he was a hero that wanted to fight for his country.

But then her mom died. She got ill, and her last month alive she spent in her bed. That was when Katara started to hate her father. He didn't care about his wife's sickness, and he yelled when the food wasn't ready when he got home. Katara did everything she could to please him and help her sick mom at the same time. One night her mother told her that she loved her. She gave her the necklace, and said that Katara was special. Then she died.

Katara stayed with her father for two years. He kept screaming at her, and forcing her to work harder than she had ever worked before. But it was when Katara asked about her brother that she got enough. Her father laughed and said that she never had a brother. That she was crazy, if she actually still thought that her brother was real. Katara knew that she hadn't anything left in her home. She decided to leave. She packed her things and left in the night. She volunteered in the fire nation army, and got sent to Pohuai Stronghold. That was where she met the Yu Yan Archers.

A knock on the door brought Katara back to present. She opened the door, and Zhou smiled at her.

"Come on, it's dinner time! I heard Vachir has an announcement to make. I can't wait to hear what the mission is about."

They walked down to the dinner room together. They took their seats as Vachir walked into the room. His gaze swept over the archers.

"Admiral Zhao has a mission for the Yu Yan Archers. The mission is a secret, and details will only be given to a chosen few. The mission will require all archers. We will leave tomorrow at dawn."

Vachir took his seat, and dinner began.

"You get to come!" Zhou whispered smiling.

"Yeah… But he didn't even say what the mission was about. That's… strange."

"Don't worry. The important is that we get to leave this place!"

Katara gave him a smile, but she was still concerned. They were going to leave tomorrow at dawn… That was really quick. She wondered what was going on here.

-:-:-

Katara leaned on the railing and looked out on the ocean. She inhaled the scent of salt water. She loved it. She felt so free when the wind blew her hair around her face.

"You should probably get ready. We may have to go ashore any minute."

Katara smiled at Zhou. "We have been travelling around in the same area for two days. I don't know what is going on, but it's really strange. Don't you think so?"

Zhou bit his bottom lip and looked away.

"Oh." Katara said. "You know what this mission is about, don't you?"

"Yeah…" He said. "And before you ask: no, I can't tell you."

Katara sighed. She knew better than to whine about it. Zhou was a much more important member in the Yu Yan than she would ever be.

She looked on a big warship that passed. The soldier on board walked around in full uniforms. They were probably heading for some small earth town to occupy.

"I wish this war would be over." She said.

"Me too." Zhou said. "My father was killed in the war."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

He sighed. "This mission is really important, Katara. After this mission is completed, the fire nation will be one step closer to victory."

Before Katara could ask anything, a loud horn could be heard. It was the signal that they would be heading ashore. Katara ran towards her room to get ready.

-:-:-

"This is it." Vachir said. "When he comes out from the house, we have to be ready. Remember: this person is really powerful. Do not underestimate him!"

Katara nodded like the other archers. Vachir made a gesture, and some of the archers followed him. Zhou gave her a small smile before he followed Vachir. Katara and three other archers stayed in the forest. They would only have to help if the other ones didn't succeed to capture this person by themselves. Katara doubted that one person would have a chance against seven Yu Yen Archers. So she just relaxed and waited.

After a while, they could hear arrows being fired. Katara got up in a tree, so that she could see what was going on.

Their target was running zigzag down the hill, gracefully avoiding the arrows sent off at him. He was agile and fast, and Katara stared at him amazed. But then he suddenly changed course. He came running, towards the forest. Towards Katara.

Katara looked up, and saw the other archers sail through the air, towards their target. She quickly swung herself up in the tree, and jump for the next tree. She aimed her arrow, with a rope bond to it, at one of the higher trees. Then she swung herself through the air, towards the lake downside the forest. She would cut off their targets escape road. He would be caught in a trap.

She landed in the lake, dirty water up to her waist. She loaded her bow, and her gaze was locked on the person racing down the hill. He hadn't seen her. She aimed.

Her arrow flew steady and straight through the air, without making a sound. But the target noticed it anyway. He dove, making a somersault, and the arrow hit the ground behind him. Katara's next arrow was already on its way, but the target was moving too fast now. He had lost his balance, and he was rolling down the hill. Katara looked up, but she couldn't see any other archers. So she quickly made her way ashore, ready to catch the target as he had made his way down the hill. She loaded her bow.

The target rolled down the hill, into the lake. He lay there, a couple of steps away from Katara, his face down in the water. And she aimed her arrow on his back, ready to shoot him if he tried to escape.

But he didn't. In fact, he didn't move at all. Katara lowered her bow, and hurried out in the river. They had to catch their target _alive_. She couldn't let him drown. She grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him up from the water.

Quick as a hawk and agile like a cat, the man swung around and ripped himself free from her grip. Katara's bow left her hand before she could do anything, and the man's elbow hit her in the chest. Katara fell down in the water, her hand grasping the place he had hit her, gasping for air. But her other hand found the knife in her belt.

The man ran through the water, surprisingly fast even though the water reached him to the knees. But as he passed a large tree, that had fallen down in the lake, Katara threw her knife. The knife pinned the man's arm to the log, and he turned his gaze to her, surprised. Katara saw her bow, floating in the water a few steps away. She ran for it, as the man grabbed the knife and pulled it out to set him free. But Katara loaded her bow, and pinned the man's other hand to the log, making him drop the knife. She shot another arrow, but this time the man shield himself. By making the water rise, before freezing it.

Katara's arrow shattered the shield, but she didn't attack again. She stared at the man, in chock. He had just done something, openly in front of a stranger, that she had fear to do for so many years. He had waterbended.

The man stared back at her, confused that she had stopped attacking him.

"You're a waterbender." Katara said, slowly.

He looked at her, and wrinkled his eyebrows. "Yes." He said, and Katara could hear the suspicion in his voice.

Katara lowered her bow. But suddenly, she heard a sound that made the hair on her neck rise. She dodged the arrow, that hit the water next to her. She turned around, and saw Vachir running down the hill.

"What are you waiting for?" He shouted, and Katara could hear he was angry.

As quickly as she could, she made her way to the man. With a quick move with her other knife, she cut of the sleeve on his shirt and set him free.

"Quickly, we got to get out of here!" She said to him.

He nodded, and pulled himself up on the log. As he jumped down on the other side, he was shielded from the arrows that now came flying down the hill. Katara quickly followed him, and they made their way ashore.

"To the forest!" The man shouted, and Katara nodded in answer.

But as she ran into the forest, an arrow came from nowhere and pinned her to a tree. Whoever had shot it was near, because the arrow was stuck hard in the tree and she couldn't pull it out. And as she tried, another arrow pinned her other hand to the first one. She was caught.

The man turned around when he noticed that she was stuck. He come running back, leaving the protection that he got from the trees.

"No!" Katara shouted. "Go! Run!"

The man stopped, but it was too late. Arrows rained over him, and he fell over, pinned to the ground. An archer landed on the ground next to him, arrow aimed at his chest. Katara's heart froze when he turned his gaze to her, and she saw that it was Zhou. He stared at her, sorrow and disbelief written all over his face.

Katara stared back, determined. But she looked down as the other archers gathered around them. She couldn't bear to see the hate in their eyes.

-:-:-

Katara was standing, hands and feet chained to the wall. She had been standing for two days, without food, and her strength was leaving her. But her gaze was on the empty chains on the other side on the room, and the worry inside her made her forget her decreasing strength.

They had come to get the man this morning. He hadn't struggled as they took him away. He was weaker than Katara, because of the injuries he had received in the fight against the archers. He had been unconscious for most of the time they had been in prison together, and Katara didn't know more about him than his name. Aang.

Katara had bore the secret of her waterbending abilities for as long as she could remember. She had been afraid, because she knew that as a waterbender she was an enemy of the firenation. So she hid it. And as she joined the archers, she learned other ways to defend herself. But she could never let go of the waterbending. In secret, she practiced. But to learn waterbending alone, was something she soon realized was impossible. And her secret slowly torn her down. She couldn't tell anyone, not even Zhou.

To meet another waterbender, an other one of her kind, was something she never had dared to dream about. And now, the only waterbender she had ever met, was lingering between life and death.

Katara looked up. The sound of two men walking came towards her. And as the door opened, a limp body fell down on the floor. The men didn't even bother to chain him. The door closed, and darkness surrounded them. Katara couldn't see Aang, but she could hear his shallow breath.

"Aang?" She whispered, and her voice sounded strange in the quiet place.

He didn't answer.

The door opened again, and the light from a torch made Katara blind. She closed her eyes, but she could hear the person close the door behind him, and the sound of his steps as he stepped over the limp body on the floor and came towards her.

"Katara."

Katara looked up. "Zhou?"

Zhou moved the torch to the side, so that Katara could see his face. He smiled halfhearted.

"What are you doing here?" Katara whispered.

"I had to come." Zhou looked down. "I don't understand, Katara. Why did you do it?" She could hear the pleading in his voice, the wish for there to be a reasonable answer. "Why did you try to save him?"

Katara sighed quietly. "Because I had to."

Zhou looked up, anger in his eyes. "Why? Who is he, to make you turn your back on your family? To make you turn your back on me?"

Katara looked down. "He's one of my kind, Zhou." She looked up, and saw the confusion on his face. "I can't explain it to you. It's a long story, and this is not the place for it to be told. But you must know, I never meant to turn my back on you. You're my friend, Zhou. For so long, you have been the only thing keeping me up. But now I have to learn how to stand on my own. I'm sorry. I truly am."

Zhou stared at her, not saying a word. But then he reached out a hand, a slowly caressed her cheek. Chained to the wall, there wasn't much Katara could do when he leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. He kissed her gently, and a single tear rolled down Katara's cheek. But when he pulled back, determination had formed in his eyes. He pulled out his sword, and with a powerful move he cut of her chains.

"What are you doing?" Katara asked, chocked.

"I'm getting you out of here."

"What?"

He reached out a hand for her. "Come on!"

But Katara's gaze turned to Aang. "I can't leave him here."

Zhou nodded. He bent down next to Aang, and pulled him to his feet. Aang turned out to be conscious, but he was weak. Katara steadied him as Zhou open the door, and she could hear him knock down the guards. Katara led Aang to the door, and Zhou grabbed his other arm.

"Come on. We have to sneak out unnoticed."

Together they ran through the dark hallways, as silent as only an archer can be. They got out of the building, and ran for the walls. Katara headed for the gates, but Zhou pulled her the other way.

"This way!" He whispered.

"But we can't climb the wall with Aang in this shape! We can't get out that way!" Katara whispered, but then she saw something that made her slow down the speed. A rope hang down the wall.

Zhou turned around when she saw she was falling behind, and Katara stopped.

"Did you plan this?" She asked.

Zhou looked down. "I couldn't let you die."

Katara was both chocked and touched by his commitment to her at the same time. He was giving up everything he had for her, and it just didn't feel right to Katara. But it was too late to go back now.

They reached the wall, and Zhou picked up a backpack that laid there. "I packed down food and water. It will be needed. And also…" He reached out his bow. "Take this. I'm better with the knifes."

Katara took the bow. It was one of a kind, made by Zhou himself out of black wood, and with a string of hair from a unicorn. It was the most beautiful thing Katara had ever seen, and Zhou trusted her with it. "Thank you, Zhou."

He nodded. "Now, go."

Katara swung the backpack over her shoulder, and started to climb. She was slower than usual due to the lack of strength, but she still made it up pretty fast. Zhou tied the rope around Aang's chest, and Katara started to pull him up. He was heavy, but after a while of struggle she managed to get him up.

But as she pulled him up on the wall, the sound of a horn could be heard. It was the alarm. Their escape had been discovered.

Katara looked back at the building, as soldiers stormed out, looking for them. She turned her gaze to Zhou, and he met it. He couldn't climb the wall. They would be discovered if he did so, and the last chance of escape would be gone. They both knew it, but none of them had the courage to say the words.

Zhou's gaze was locked at her, as he pulled out his sword. "Go, Katara. I'll hold them off."

"No!"

"Katara!" His voice was determined. "Go. Now."

Katara stared at him. Then she nodded. Tears streamed down her face as she saw him turn around and sneak away in the shadows. She turned back to Aang. She wouldn't waste any of the valuable time Zhou was giving her.

She lowered Aang down on the other side of the wall. Thereafter she climbed down herself. The sound of a fight reached her ears. Katara wiped the tears off her face, before she helped Aang up. Together, they disappeared into the darkness of the night.


End file.
